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Emissions Inventory

New! 2018 Emissions Inventory WorkshopOur annual free workshop will be held on Tuesday, January 23, 2018, at the National Weather Center in Norman and again on Wednesday, January 31, 2018, at the OU Schusterman Center in Tulsa. Attendees will learn about reporting process changes and improvements, QC procedures, and view training in Redbud, our secure online reporting application. We will also have a section on e-permitting and new permitting guidance. Details and how to register...

Introduction to Emissions Inventory
Each year DEQ compiles a statewide Emissions Inventory. This includes emissions of air pollutants and contaminants from the following sources:

Point sources – Point sources are large, stationary (non-mobile), identifiable sources of emissions that release pollutants into the atmosphere. Examples include large industries, such as manufacturing plants, power plants, paper mills, refineries, etc. Such facilities are required to submit an annual Emissions Inventory of Regulated Air Pollutants on a "Turn Around Document," either electronically using the DEQ Redbud web application or as hardcopy. Two maps representing Oklahoma counties' VOC and NOx point source emission levels for 2013 are available here.

Area sources - Area sources collectively represent individual sources that have not been inventoried as specific point, mobile, or biogenic sources. These individual sources are typically too small, numerous, or difficult to inventory using the methods for the other classes of sources. Examples of area source categories may include oil and gas production facilities, consumer and commercial solvent use, dry cleaning, gasoline marketing and distribution, various surface coating operations, etc. Information about CenSARA's 2011 Oil & Gas Area Sources study report and emissions calculation tool is available here.

The annual Oklahoma Emissions Inventory, which is reported to the EPA, is a resource that utilizes previous year's emissions data to evaluate emission trends. It gives support to air dispersion modeling, development of air quality rules, and air toxics risk assessment. Tracking emissions trends over time can alert the Department to potential air quality issues, which gives support to future planning. Summaries for the 2008 through 2015 Point Source Emissions are available for download.

Developing and improving methods of electronically collecting and reporting emission inventory data is a primary goal of the Emissions Inventory Section. This work reduces the reporting burden on the regulated community and staff, increases the efficiency and effectiveness of data validation, and further assures that data quality objectives are being met. Accurate data is a key element in modeling, statistical studies, investigations, and in the State Implementation Plan (SIP) which defines DEQ’s strategy to maintain and improve air quality in Oklahoma. Continuing to increase the level of quality control also increases confidence in the accuracy and completeness of the emission inventory data.

With a more comprehensive and accurate emissions inventory program, the Department can identify and define elements of emission inventories to meet SIP requirements for complying with the 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), the revised Particulate Matter (PM) NAAQS, and the regional haze regulations (impaired visibility). Measuring progress in reducing emissions, setting a baseline for future planning, to support possible future trading programs and to answer the public's request for information are all priorities of the Emissions Inventory Section.

Options for Submitting Emission Inventories
There are two options for submitting annual emissions inventories from point (non-mobile) sources:

With the second option a Turn Around Document for each facility, prepopulated with as much data as possible, is sent to the designated company or entity Responsible Official as either a hardcopy by USPS or emailed as three Adobe® PDF files. For each active process, company personnel must then update the annual process rates, annual operating hours and calculated amounts of pollutants emitted. After the Responsible Official has signed the certification page (that the information is "...true, accurate, and complete") the Turn Around Document must be sent to DEQ, where the data is checked and entered into the Air Quality Division database.

Use of the Redbud application remains voluntary at this time. Companies are encouraged to use Redbud, but you may still choose to submit inventory data using either hardcopy format instead.

We strongly recommend using Redbud: we believe that it is the easiest and quickest way of submitting an emissions inventory. One key advantage of Redbud is that companies can view their facility data and print out hard copy Turn Around Documents at any time during the year.